| From 1950 to 1965 Turkey's national average wheat yield has increased
only slightly from 0.860 to 1.076 tons/ha. This yield level amounted to
only 1/3 of that for Europe. The overall use of fertilizer in Turkey has
been minimal in the past and has increased only recently. For instance,
during the 1953-1957 period, France used 105 kg of fertilizer per tillable
hectare, Greece 27, and Turkey 0.8 kg (EREN 1963.) However, from 1960 to
1967 the fertilizer usage in Turkey has increased from 107,332 tons to 1,535,278
tons with a target of 2,500,000 tons for 1968 of which 1,200,000 tons are
to be allotted for wheat (Turkiye Cumhuriyeti, Tarim Bakanligi, Bitki Besleme
Subesi 1968). It is essential that the available fertilizer be applied in those areas where it will produce the highest possible yields. Such places are the coastal areas (Black Sea, Marmara, Aegaeis and Mediterranean) and those areas with proper irrigation. Irrigated farm land in Turkey amounts to less than 10% of the cultivated land. But even these sparse facilities have not been fully utilized (EREN 1963). If fertilizer is going to be used effectively in the areas mentioned, lodging resistant varieties with high yielding potential should replace those presently in use. 2. Introduction of wheats with high yielding potential A project of this nature has encouraging examples in the Mexican Wheat Breeding Program of BORLAUG (1958) and in a similar program started for Pakistan by NARVAEZ and BORLAUG (1966). By developing short straw rust-resistant wheats with high yielding potentials, given high fertilization, and by doubling the area sown to wheat, Mexico's average yield per unit area was more than doubled and, consequently, the total production of wheat was nearly quadrupled during the period from 1945 to 1962 (PETERSON 1965). In West Pakistan during 1966 the use of these short straw wheats in combination with a fertilizer application of 80 kg N and 60 kg P2O5/ha raised the average yield from 1 to 3.42 tons/ha. This average was reached in 1966 on 2,100 ha of land. Top yields exceeded 7 tons/ha (QURESHI and NARVAEZ 1966). Data of preliminary work at the Agricultural Research and Introduction Centre at Izmir, Turkey, during the 1965-66 and 1966-67 growing seasons also were very encouraging. They are first results of an otherwise very extensive breeding program which cannot be dcscribed here in detail. During these two growing seasons 2 Italian Triticum durum Varieties and 9 physically and chemically induced mutant lines were tested on alluvial, fine sandy loam soil and compared with the 2 Turkish standards 'Akpusana' and 'Akbasak'. The induced mutants were derived from some of the best Italian T. durum varieties, 'Grifoni', 'Garigliano', 'Aziziah', 'Russello' and 'Capelli', and are considerably shortened in straw length if compared with their mother lines. They are presently tested in several countries as part of the Near East Project for Wheat and Barley Improvement under the auspices of FAO and IAEA. Capelli, derived from the North African variety 'Jean Rhetifah', is now grown on 50% of the acreage sown to T. durum in Italy (SCARASCIA-MUGNOZZA 1965). Most of the mutants showed very good lodging resistance at medium doses of fertilization (60 kg N and 50 kg P2O5/ha). The local strains Akbasak and Akpusana showed from 94 to 100% lodging. The yields of these varieties and strains during the 1965-66 and 1966-67 growing seasons are shown in Table 1. Two and 4 strains, respectively, are significantly higher yielding than the standard Akpusana. Yields higher than 5 and 6 tons/ha are very promising if compared to the present average of Turkish wheat yields. Of course, one has to consider that these yields probably cannot be reached as future average yields, but that the average yields can be at least tripled by using this promising material and adequate fertilization. |
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